However, for the fifth time in his past six fights, “Rush” was unable to
secure a finish as challenger Jake Shields lasted 25 minutes with the
champ in a moderately-paced affair light on any real action.

The bout served as the featured contest of Saturday night’s historic UFC 129 pay-per-view event, which took place at Toronto’s Rogers Centre.

The night marked the UFC’s first-ever stadium show, and the sold-out crowd was the largest in North American mixed martial arts history.

With the crowd on its feet at the opening bell and camera flashes dotting the entirety of the building, Shields opened up looking to work as the striking aggressor. Predictably, St-Pierre worked his jab, and he remained upright after Shields caught an early kick.

With Shields holding the center of the cage and striking often, St-Pierre opened up the arsenal a bit with a spinning back kick that came just short. A right hand also connected squarely with a little more than two minutes remaining, but Shields was certainly not intimidated as he stood and returned fire.

St-Pierre toppled an off-balance Shields briefly with a jab, and a Superman punch followed shortly after. St-Pierre closed the round with an Ali shuffle and a stiff straight, and the champ claimed his 31st-consecutive round with a perfectly executed approach.

Shields tried to lead with a few low kicks as the second frame opened, but St-Pierre again went to his jab. The challenger walked forward with precious little head movement, and St-Pierre varied his levels while looking to pick apart the Shields on his feet. An overhand right found its way into the mix alongside the reliable Superman punch, and the striking disparity between the two became more and more apparent.

Shields continued to press forward with kicks, and his defense was commendable, but through two rounds it was apparent he had few options on the feet. St-Pierre’s jab and overhand right were dialed in, and a briefly caught kick was his only apparent mistake.

Add in another Ali shuffle for good measure, and it was round 32 for the champ.

Shields looked more intent to clinch as the third frame opened, but he still couldn’t wrap his hands on the champ’s body for more than a brief moment. Despite his shortfalls, Shields refused to dive for a leg, to sell out on a shot. He tried once halfway into the round, but St-Pierre simply pranced confidently away.

The overhand right scored a few times more as the round drew to a close, and Shields was afforded 20 seconds of grappling from the bottom when St-Pierre sent him crashing to the floor with a driving takedown.

Fifteen minutes into the fight, it was painfully apparent Shields would need a finish to claim the belt. It was not as clear how he could possibly earn it.

St-Pierre earned a quick takedown in the fourth, though both fighters popped quickly back up. They settled into a familiar routine until St-Pierre cracked his opponent with a high kick and a staggered Shields dove for a single-leg that wouldn’t come.

Back on the feet, a desperate Shields started to taunt the champ by waving him in to attack and wiping the blood trickling from his nose all over his face. It did little to rile up the always-icy St-Pierre, who easily banked another frame.

St-Pierre’s left eye was closing as he walked out for the final frame, and Shields looked energized to open, but after a brief opening flurry, the champion returned to his methodical destruction of the challenger. Shields didn’t show the lack of conditioning evident in his October 2010 win over Martin Kampmann, but he also showed little evidence of an alternate gameplan. Even the loyal Toronto crowd began to boo in spurts in the closing minutes.

Blood trickling down the left side of his face, St-Pierre leaned forward as he worked the body and jabbed again to the head, but a finish from either fighter looked highly doubtful. St-Pierre did land a good right hand before shooting in for a takedown at the bell, but the dominating performance drew only a mixed reaction from the crowd, who were certainly supportive of their countryman but undoubtedly disappointed at his methodical approach.

St-Pierre (22-2 MMA, 16-2 UFC) was awarded the unanimous-decision result with an understandable score of 50-45 and two perplexing 48-47 results and runs his unbeaten streak to nine fights. Shields (26-5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) sees an impressive 15-fight win streak snapped in his first loss since 2004.

If the evening’s first title fight, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo defended his belt for the first time, but challenger Mark Hominick wowed an already loyal legion of fans with one of the gutsiest performances in recent memory.

As the fight opened, a bouncing Hominick charged across the cage to engage. However, it was Aldo who pulled the trigger first with a few powerful punches, and his trademark leg kicks. Hominick stood in firm in the pocket, but his strikes were slow to come in comparison to Aldo’s frantic head movement.

A quick catch of a kick saw Aldo topple briefly to the canvas, but he popped immediately back to his feet, where he resumed the assault. Aldo shocked the world with a takedown nearly two minutes into the fight, but Hominick rolled immediately into an armbar attempt that looked dangerously close for a moment. It wasn’t there, and Aldo settled for a ground-and-pound attack inside of the challenger’s guard.

Hominick showed decent defense from his back, but Aldo still scored with his share of short elbows and forearms along tithe the occasional punch. Referee “Big; John McCarthy called or a standup with 30 seconds left, and Aldo ended the frame with another takedown. It wasn’t disastrous for Hominick, but he still looked battered from Aldo’s work.

In the second, Hominick looked lively on the feet and dug into Aldo’s body a few times while defending a pair of takedown attempts. The crowd came alive when Hominick scored in the clinch, but Aldo agains ducked in for a takedown, much to the crowd’s displeasure.

Aldo remained on top until a McCarthy standup with a little more than a minute remaining. Both fighters landed a few quick punches on the feet before Aldo scored another takedown and finished the round in side control.

Bot fighters still looked lively in the third, and while some observers questioned Aldo’s gas tank, the champion did show quick head movement as he slipped punches and ample power in his return strikes.

Hominick did began to find range with his punches as the two boxed in the center, and his jab snapped Aldo’s head back on a few occasions. However, Aldo was delivering the more powerful attacks, including a straight right hand that saw Hominick freeze briefly, wobble, then fall to the canvas. Aldo tried to finish with a dozen or so hammerfists, some of which missed, but Hominick pulled guard and maintained his composure while the champion worked from inside of his guard.

Both fighters wore the damage of the bout as the fight entered the championship rounds, though Hominick was the more dotted of the two.

A leg kick buckled Hominick briefly, and a straight sright staggered hi,. A follow-up low kick caught Hominick on the cup, and Aldo put his hands on hips briefly when the challenger refused to accept his apology glove tap. Moments later a front kick caught the same region and earned Aldo a warning, but the action resumed quickly.

Aldo stepped up the attack as the round wore on, and he landed three leg kicks that left Hominick stumbling. Another straight punch sent Hominick to the floor, and Aldo again pounced with punches. Hominick again gathered his wits, but a massive hematoma on the right side of his forehead erupted quickly after a direct elbow strike and grew bigger as the round continued. McCarthy called the doctor in to take a look, and Hominick was shockingly ruled fit to continue.

A cold compress between rounds brought the swelling to a minimum, and Hominick passed one further examination before he was allowed to see the fifth round. Aldo gave him a respectful high five as the frame began, but there was no mercy from the Brazilian.

A right hand again staggered Hominick briefly, and Aldo tried to end the fight with a guillotine choke. The submission missed, and Hominick set up in top position. With the Rogers Centre roaring, beefing for a miracle from the hometown hero, Hominick began to find range from inside of the champion’s guard.

Aldo left his head flat on the canvas as he tried to used his legs to create distance.A battered Hominick worked the ribs and scored to the chin, and each blow found the stadium reaching a higher decibel level. Hominick stood with 30 seconds remaining and dove back in with a few more strikes to end the round.

Both fighters toss to their feet before hitting the deck to prove a point with a few overtime pushups. When the final bell sounded, there was little question who was going to leave the cage with the belt, but the performance left the challenger with his head held as high as the hematoma would allow.

In the end, the final scores were in Aldo’s favor, though judge Doug Crosby’s score was initially announced as an unforgivable 50-43. Fortunately, the scores were simply tallied incorrectly.

With the win, Aldo (19-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has now won 12-consecutive fights, though his fifth-round performance will unquestionably draw much criticism. Hominick (20-9 MMA, 3-1 UFC) loses for the first time in the octagon and sees a five-fight win streak snapped. Nevertheless, he unquestionably his heart ranks among the strongest in the sport.

“I didn’t throw enough combinations,” Hominick admitted. “I was throwing all single shots. I wanted to get one up on him and I let him get one up on me.

“It’s one of those things, you go back to the drawing board, and I’ll come back stronger.”

Machida evokes “Karate Kid,” sends Couture into the sunset

If UFC 129 was indeed Randy Couture’s final fight, it ended in spectacular fashion. Unfortunately for “The Natural,” it was Lyoto Machida who delivered the fireworks.

With chants of “Randy” filling the arena at the opening bell, Machida took the center of the cage while the UFC Hall of Famer circled on the outside. Machida flashed rapid-fire punches in the early going, and a few rights seemed to catch Couture’s attention. As the round unfolded, it was Couture who held the center of the cage, but he found it difficult to close the distance as Machida was quicker than his foe and consistently able to back away from the advancing MMA legend.

Machida landed a knee that allowed Couture to finally grab hold, but “The Dragon” put a hand on his opponent’s face and pushed away. Machida punctuated the well-fought opening round with a slapping kick to the body and another knee in the closing seconds.

The second round saw more of the same to open, as Machida was simply too quick in retreat for Couture to find the clinch. With Machida in complete control, he appeared ready to unleash a finishing blow. When he did, it was spectacular.

A leaping front kick to the chin that would make Daniel LaRusso proud saw Couture fall backward to the canvas, and Machida followed with two additional punches before referee Yves Lavigne could halt the fight 65 seconds into the second frame. The responsible blow was eerily reminiscent of Anderson Silva’s spectacular UFC 126 knockout of Vitor Belfort, and Steven Seagal’s presence in Machida’s corner again left fans wondering just how much the film star may actually be contributing to these Brazilians’ fight camps.

It was vintage Machida, and it was likely the end for Couture, who lost a tooth in the exchange.

“I thought about it after James Toney, but then they gave me Lyoto. He’s a tremendous fighter. I felt like I was standing still out there.”

Couture (19-11 MMA, 16-8 UFC) sees a legendary 14-year career end on a sour note as a three-fight win streak comes to an emphatic stop. Meanwhile, Machida (16-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) snaps a two-fight win streak and appears ready to again content with the UFC’s very best 205-pounders.

“I had a dream when I was 18 years old that I would fight Randy Couture,” Machida said after the fight. “But I thought I would never get the chance because I was too young.

“It was an honor to fight Randy. He’s the man and a legend.”

Matyushenko makes quick work of Brilz

In light heavyweight action, wrestling standouts Vladimir Matyushenko and Jason Brilz wasted little time before clashing in the center of the cage, but it was “The Janitor” who landed first.

Matyushenko opened the salvo with a stiff jab that was largely blocked, but when Brilz looked to come back with his own punching attack, he was met with stiff resistance.

A right-left combo to the chin sent Brilz crashing to the canvas, and three hammerfists on the floor forced referee Dan Miragliotta to wave off the bout. Brilz immediately protested the stoppage, but he was surviving briefly on anything but intelligent defense. The end came just 20 seconds into the fight.

The 40-year-old Matyushenko (26-5 MMA, 7-3 UFC) now owns back-to-back first-round stoppages. Brilz (18-4-1 MMA, 3-3 UFC) falls to just 1-3 in his past four outings, though two of the losses came via split decision.
Henderson grinds down Bocek in impressive UFC debut

In the evening’s first main-card contest, former WEC champion Ben Henderson turned in a gritty three-round decision win over submission specialist Mark Bocek.

Bocek took the center early and wasted little time shooting into a takedown after scoring a straight right. However, Henderson remained upright and quickly spun off the cage. The clinch was a bit of a stalemate, and the fighters had to be reset.

Bocek looked again to take the fight to the floor, but Henderson kept the fight on the feet, where he flashed crisp striking with punching combinations punctuated with potent leg kicks.

Bocek finally scored a takedown with a little more than a minute remaining after catching a Henderson kick and then sweeping his other leg out and to the floor. But once there, Henderson showed capable defense until the bell.

Bocek again sold-out on a single-leg attempt early in the second, and he briefly earned it when Henderson looked for a guillotine choke attempt. But the former WEC champ scrambled immediately back to his feet and into the clinch. The position again proved a stalemate and needed another Yves Lavigne reset.

Henderson eventually pushed Bocek down and delivered several powerful punches from top position. “Smooth” had a scary moment when he appeared to leave a leg behind as he pulled away, but h eventually wrestled the limb free.

In the final minute of the round, Henderson fended off a pair of choke attempts as he kept his “unchokeable” reputation intact. When he pulled his neck free, Henderson leapt to his feet and pummeled Bocek with non-stop forward movement that left the Canadian a bloody mess.

With a massive glob of Vaseline on the crown of his head slowing the bleeding, Bocek scored a quick takedown in the final frame. Henderson scrambled for a guillotine choke, then an armbar, but he eventually settled for a grinding attack on the weary Bocek.

Bocek briefly worked to the back in a standing position and tried to leap to back control, but Henderson peeled him off and reversed the position. With Bocek tired and frustrated, Henderson punched on the floor and kneed in the clinch. Bocek did take half-mount in the final minute, but scrambled up to safety and a unanimous-decision win.

“It feels great to get the win,” Henderson said after the win. “I hate losing, and I was coming off a loss.

“This was a big moment, and it’s a big night, but I’ve fought for the world title before, so I was able to stay composed in there. I’m a pretty reserved guy until all these cameras get in my face.”

With a win in his octagon debut, Henderson (13-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) improves to 6-1 under the Zuffa banner. Bocek (9-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) falls to 1-2 in his past three outings.